Veteran Warns a Second Trump Presidency Could Dismantle the VA Amid Arlington Backlash
(CNN)
As Donald Trump faces criticism from the U.S. Army for his illegal photo-op in a restricted area of Arlington National Cemetery, a veteran is raising alarms about the potential consequences of a second Trump presidency on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
In a September 1 op-ed published by Rolling Stone, Michael Embrich—a former member of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on the Readjustment of Veterans and a former congressional staffer—warns that the VA is facing not only a significant “legal” challenge but also “a profound moral and ethical challenge.”
Embrich explains that the conservative U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn the 1984 Chevron doctrine, which “allowed agencies to interpret ambiguous laws within their jurisdiction without constant judicial interference,” has put the VA in a precarious position. “Thousands of Veterans Affairs Department rules and regulations are now vulnerable to court challenges, a scenario that could be ignited by a new Trump administration,” he writes.
During his presidency, Trump pushed to expand private healthcare options for veterans through the VA Mission Act, a move that sparked considerable controversy. While some major veterans service organizations viewed it as a step toward privatizing the VA, others raised concerns about the challenges veterans faced with the new system. These included a lack of quality providers in their communities, strict VA rules that could result in claim denials, and providers being located far from where veterans live, sometimes even out of state.
Embrich emphasizes that with the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Chevron’s deference, the VA faces an even greater threat. “The VA faces a second major blow to its status as the only public health care system in America,” he writes, noting that the ruling “fundamentally alters the way federal agencies operate.”
The “final blow to the VA would come if, as the Chevron ruling suggests, the department loses its legal authority to make new rules altogether,” Embrich cautions. He points out that the timelines for passing veterans’ legislation can vary widely—from 50 years for something as comprehensive as the PACT Act, which aids veterans exposed to toxic chemicals, to just a few months for cost-of-living adjustments. Without the ability to make new rules quickly enough to meet daily demands, Congress would struggle to keep up, leaving veterans without the support they need.
Embrich’s op-ed serves as a stark warning about the potential dismantling of the VA under a second Trump administration, highlighting the far-reaching implications of recent legal and political developments on veterans’ healthcare.
